Four Tigers received MVP votes. Alex Avila finished 12th in the voting, while Victor Martinez was 17th.

The debate about whether a pitcher should win the MVP raged for a good portion of the season. Tigers manager Jim Leyland said during the season that he does not believe pitchers should be eligible to win the MVP but that Verlander was deserving of the award since he is eligible under the current rules.

“He definitely deserves it,” Leyland told MLB.com last week. “I hope he gets it. I hope (voters) adhere to the policy which they go by. And if they do, I think he's going to get it.

“If a pitcher's allowed to win MVP, he should definitely win it.”

Verlander won the Triple Crown for AL pitchers. He led the league in wins (24), ERA (2.40) and strikeouts (250).

Verlander also led the American League in innings pitched (251), winning percentage (.828), opponents’ batting average (.192) and walks plus hits per inning pitched. Verlander finished with a WHIP of 0.92.

Verlander was a unanimous pick for the AL Cy Young award, which was given out Tuesday. He earned all 28 first-place votes from the BBWAA members who voted for the award.

Verlander spoke about the possibility of winning the MVP later that day.

“Do I think it’s possible? Yes,” Verlander said. “Would I like to win it? Of course. But if you had told me at the beginning of the year that I was going to be a shoo-in for the Cy Young, I would have been absolutely ecstatic and amazed.”

No AL pitchers has won the MVP since Dennis Eckersley won the award in 1992. In 1999, Boston Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez received eight first-place votes – the most of any player in the American League – but still finished second in the AL MVP voting to Texas Rangers catcher Ivan Rodriguez.

Two voters left Martinez off their ballots entirely that season. That proved to be the deciding factor.

But that wasn't the case this time. Verlander appeared on 27 of 28 ballots and received almost half the first-place votes. Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista, who finished third in the voting, had five first-place votes. Ellsbury had four.